At the He family’s estate.
Second Uncle He Yibo stood in the courtyard, his brows slightly furrowed.
“Strange, why hasn’t Qingfeng arrived yet?
We agreed I would guide his Martial Skills today.
Could he have forgotten?
“Someone, go to the Third Young Master’s courtyard and see what he’s doing.”
He Yibo felt a sense of oppression in his heart; he had a nagging feeling that something bad was about to happen.
“Second Master, I’ll go right away.”
He Qingfeng’s courtyard looked no different from usual.
The flowers were blooming brightly, and the spring trees swayed in the breeze.
“The door is closed.
Could the Third Young Master still be asleep?”
The servant approached the door in confusion.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
He knocked three times and called out to the Third Young Master three times, but there was no response.
“No one’s there?”
Puzzled, the servant pushed hard against the door.
It wasn’t latched and swung open easily.
Abruptly, a pale, stiff corpse appeared in the servant’s line of sight.
The body hung suspended in mid-air, a red rope squeezed tightly around its neck.
Even in death, its eyes revealed a lingering sense of unwillingness and humiliation.
“Ah!”
The servant fell to the ground in terror.
Once he recognized the corpse’s face, he let out a horrified shriek.
“The Third Young Master…
is dead!”
“The Third Young Master is dead!”
The deceased was none other than He Qingfeng!
The tranquil He family’s estate instantly erupted into chaos.
The news of the He family’s Third Young Master hanging himself spread like wildfire.
One minute later, in He Qingfeng’s room.
“Are you saying Qingfeng committed suicide because Longtian humiliated him yesterday?” He Yibo’s rage was uncontrollable at the sight of He Qingfeng’s corpse.
Beside him, He Wanqing had cried herself into a puddle of tears.
She never imagined her own biological brother would actually take his own life.
“Uncle Yibo, yes.
I was there yesterday,” He Chao sighed.
He Qingfeng had been thrown into a latrine pit the day before.
Naturally, those present wouldn’t spread the word, but he hadn’t expected his third brother to commit suicide over it.
“Longtian, Longtian!
You little bastard!
To think you have such a vicious heart.
I want you dead!
I want you to pay for Qingfeng’s life with your own!”
With a low roar, He Yibo stormed out of the He family’s estate like a gust of wind.
Although He Qingfeng wasn’t particularly talented, he was his most beloved son—his affection for him far exceeded what he had for He Wanqing.
And now, his most beloved son was dead.
It was all because of Longtian.
Thus, Longtian had to die.
“Uncle Yibo, I’ll go with you.”
“I’m going too.”
He Chao, He Tong, and He Qingzhu all followed suit, their hatred for Longtian multiplying significantly.
“Brother.” He Wanqing glanced at He Qingfeng’s corpse and slumped onto the ground.
“Why did this happen?
Why?”
Meanwhile, on the streets.
“Shopkeeper, give me a few bottles of Trauma Ointment.”
Longtian was busy buying medicine, completely unaware of the looming crisis.
“Sixth Master, here is your Trauma Ointment.
That will be three thousand taels of silver in total.” The Shopkeeper beamed with a wide smile upon seeing it was Longtian.
“Three thousand taels.
Indeed, it isn’t cheap.”
Longtian handed over three thousand taels worth of silver banknotes, grabbed the Trauma Ointment, and left the pharmacy.
Trauma Ointment was a salve exclusively used by Cultivators, so it was naturally quite expensive.
Originally, Longtian had wanted to leave a small tip, but upon realizing he didn’t have much money left, he dismissed the idea.
He thought, “It seems I can’t be so extravagant in the future.
Since I’ve got the Trauma Ointment, I should go home and continue my Cultivation.
What I lack most right now is strength.
Within half a month, I must raise my Cultivation to at least the Fifth Layer; only then will I have a chance of defeating He Chao.
Breaking through two layers of Cultivation in just half a month…
I don’t know if I can do it.”
Longtian knew that Cultivation became increasingly difficult to improve as it progressed, but his gaze soon turned resolute.
“Whether I can or not, I must do it.
Otherwise, I’ll be the one to die!
I went from being an ordinary person to a Cultivator at the Third Level of the Mortal Realm in just three days.
What’s so hard about advancing another two layers in half a month?
The Fifth Layer isn’t my goal.
I must reach the Sixth Layer within half a month so I can stop this marriage before He Yitao’s wedding.”
Walking home, Longtian felt an unshakable sense of unease.
For some reason, the closer he got to his house, the colder his body felt.
“Strange, what is this feeling?” he wondered.
“Could it be that I’m just not used to being alone?”
Shaking his head, he decided not to overthink it and continued on his way.
At that moment, at Longtian’s house.
“Second Master, we’ve searched high and low, but we didn’t find anything.
That brat might have happened to go out for a bite to eat.”
He Yibo had already arrived and turned Longtian’s home upside down.
“Go out and find him!
Flying Horse Village is only so big.
Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find him for me!
Come back and report to me once you do.
I’ll wait right here.
He might just return,” He Yibo said, his expression dark and cold.
“Yes.
Rest assured, Second Master, as long as he’s still in Flying Horse Village, with the influence of the He family, we’ll know his whereabouts in less than three minutes.”
“Enough nonsense.
Go find him!”
Longtian’s little hovel fell silent once more, though it carried the heavy atmosphere of a brewing storm.
Back on the streets, Longtian only needed to cross the road ahead and turn the corner to see his house in the distance.
“Sixth Master…
Sixth Master.”
A soft call drifted over from the side of the road.
Longtian was passing by the Yihong Courtyard.
Its main doors cracked open just enough for a head to poke out.
It was Turtle Lady.
“Turtle Lady, what are you calling me for this early in the morning?
Could it be your girls are missing my majestic aura?
It’s a pity, but this young master doesn’t have the time to roll in the sheets with them lately.”
“Sixth Master, it’s not that.
Come over here, I have something to tell you.”
Turtle Lady furtively pulled Longtian aside.
Longtian raised a brow.
“What’s going on?
You’re acting so secretive.
Turtle Lady, don’t tell me you’re in heat this early in the morning.”
“Sixth Master, how can you still joke around at a time like this?
I have serious business to tell you.
If we delay, it’ll be too late,” Turtle Lady said as she closed the door, her expression anxious and completely earnest.
Longtian finally realized that Turtle Lady genuinely had something important to say.
“What exactly is the matter?
Why so cautious?”
“Sixth Master, you need to leave immediately after I tell you this.
I went out to buy groceries just now and saw the He family’s Second Master marching down the street in a fury, accompanied by a group of the He family’s disciples.
I was curious, so I stopped one of the He family’s servants who frequents the Yihong Courtyard.
I asked him what the He family was up to, and why they looked like they were out for blood.
“The man said, ‘Naturally, to kill someone.’ I asked him who they were going to kill.
Guess who he named?
It’s you, Sixth Master!”
Hearing this, Longtian’s whole body jolted in shock.
“Turtle Lady, you can’t spout nonsense like that.
Why would Uncle Yibo want to kill me?”
“Sixth Master, how could I spout nonsense about something like this? New chapters come out on g.com first.
I might deceive anyone else, but I’d never lie to you.
At the time, I also thought the servant was joking with me.
Why would members of the He family kill their own, especially an elder making a move against a junior?
But then the man whispered something baffling.
He said the Third Young Master was dead.
I was just wondering, what does the Third Young Master’s death have to do with you, Sixth Master?”
Longtian didn’t hear clearly what Turtle Lady said after that; his mind was entirely consumed by a loud ringing.
Dead.
He Qingfeng was actually dead!
This was completely beyond his expectations.
In that case, He Yibo really had come to kill him.
It was highly likely that He Qingfeng couldn’t bear the humiliation and committed suicide!
He thought, “I didn’t expect that piece of trash to have such a fragile mind.
To seek death over such a minor blow…”
“Turtle Lady, thank you.
If I survive this, I will owe you a massive debt of gratitude!”
Longtian finally understood why he had felt so uneasy and cold just moments ago—he had subconsciously sensed the impending crisis.
“I have to leave.
I must leave Flying Horse Village right away!” he thought.
Longtian made a prompt decision.
He Yibo was blinded by rage; if he was caught, it would be a dead end.
“Yes, yes, Sixth Master, hurry up and go.
But don’t leave through the front door.
Our Yihong Courtyard has a secret tunnel.
It was dug specifically for the patrons, so they could escape first if their wives ever came knocking.”
Saying that, Turtle Lady led Longtian to the tunnel.
By the time he navigated the darkness and saw the light of day once again, Longtian was already outside Flying Horse Village.
He thought, “Damn it, who says prostitutes are heartless?
Who says there’s no benefit to frequenting the Yihong Courtyard?
If it weren’t for Turtle Lady, I’d be a corpse by now.
I, Longtian, swear that if I survive, I’ll definitely ensure you’ll never lack food or clothing for the rest of your life, and I’ll make sure no one dares to cause trouble at your Yihong Courtyard.”
Glancing back at the familiar village, Longtian felt a myriad of emotions welling up in his heart.
He never expected to be forced out of the place he had lived in for over a decade.
He thought, “He Yibo furiously came to kill me, and there’s no way the He family’s Ancestor didn’t know about it.
Yet, he didn’t stop it.
He must have failed to recognize my potential.
What a senile, blind old fool!
Or perhaps, the Ancestor also despised me and my brother deep down.
After all, it was my mother who brought humiliation to the He family.
“I really don’t know what that wretched woman was thinking back then, or why she eloped with someone else.
Other parents treat their children like precious treasures.
He Yibo even threw away all face and came to kill me in a fit of rage for his son, but my parents treat their own son like dirt.
My absolute garbage of a father definitely knew He Yibo was going to kill me, yet he didn’t even lift a finger.
Motherfucker, what kind of messed up world is this?”
The more Longtian thought about it, the angrier he got.
He cursed a few more times out loud, finally feeling a bit better.
“Are you done cursing?”
Suddenly, an elderly voice echoed from behind Longtian.
Longtian was startled.
“Who’s there?”
Someone had been right behind him all along without him noticing.
That could only mean the other party’s Cultivation was vastly superior to his own.
He snapped his head around, and upon clearly seeing the person’s appearance, Longtian broke out in a cold sweat.
“Grandfather!”
The speaker was actually the He family’s Ancestor—Longtian’s grandfather, whom he had only seen a handful of times in his life.
He thought, “He couldn’t have heard me cursing him just now, right?
I’m doomed.
I’m completely doomed.”
The He family’s Ancestor looked to be in his seventies or eighties, yet he showed no signs of frailty.
His eyes, in particular, were piercing and spirited, harboring a fiery gleam akin to a prowling lion.
Standing before Longtian, the Ancestor felt like a towering mountain or an expansive ocean—grand, imposing, and boundless.
The Ninth Level of the Mortal Realm.
Just by standing in front of Longtian, without exerting any pressure whatsoever, he made Longtian feel utterly insignificant.
“Grandfather, are you here to kill me, or capture me and drag me back?”
Longtian’s nerves were wound tight, his entire body drenched in sweat.